Chapter 55: Interrogation from Chen’s Parents

Chen Tao was slightly calmed by her words.

He thought about it and realized that she was right.

Now he finally understood why Xu Sangluo had connections but didn’t directly get the goods. Instead, she wanted to grow her own land.

Not to mention anything else, at least she could maintain absolute freshness and superior quality.

Before, he thought that they were all vegetables, and you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference after they were cooked.

But today, he had heard many people who came to buy vegetables say that the quality was good.

This showed that even when selling vegetables, appearance was important.

This batch of vegetables had already been damaged during transportation.

The batch in the morning was specially selected, removing the damaged parts, which also removed several pounds.

In the future, there would be more and more damage, and they would probably have to throw away over 1,000 pounds.

This didn’t include the vegetables that might not be sold.

Just thinking about it made Chen Tao feel heartbroken.

No, they had to grow their own vegetables!

After settling the accounts, the three of them went out to find a rental house in the afternoon. They actually found a house.

It was also a detached courtyard, which was quite rare.

Because many houses in the county were large courtyards, some were apartment buildings, or old buildings with multiple households.

There weren’t many detached houses, and even fewer were for rent.

The house was a four-room courtyard with one entrance.

But the rooms were quite spacious, and they had all the furniture.

There was an old lady living in the courtyard now.

But her family would come to pick her up to live in the city next month, and Xu Sangluo looked clean and well-behaved, so she agreed to rent it to her.

But for now, she only rented one room. She could rent the whole house after the owner left next month.

Xu Sangluo didn’t mind. She just needed a room to sleep in, and it was close to the agricultural trade market.

As for Qin Zhiyi, he would just squeeze in with Chen Tao in the small house, which would be convenient for moving vegetables in the morning.

The next day, as Xu Sangluo had predicted, the fruits and vegetables attracted a large wave of repeat customers after a day of fermentation.

And this time, they basically bought a lot.

Although the vegetables were indeed expensive, many people found that the taste of the vegetables after cooking was no worse than that of state-owned restaurants.

If you compared it to the food at state-owned restaurants, then buying vegetables and cooking them yourself was very cost-effective.

So, everyone’s enthusiasm for buying vegetables didn’t decrease.

They went back to pick up two loads of vegetables in the morning, and they sold over 1,000 pounds of vegetables in the morning.

The fruit sales were average, though. After all, it’s not like vegetables. You can’t eat a pound of fruit in one meal, and it’s not enough for a whole family.

Fruits can be stored for a long time and eaten slowly, so people buy less.

But similarly, they could sell the fruit for a longer time, and it wouldn’t be damaged as badly as vegetables.

So, Xu Sangluo wasn’t worried, and Chen Tao’s attitude was much calmer.

In the afternoon, Chen Tao…

He rode his tricycle, pulling a half-cart of fruit, peddling through the streets and alleys, shouting out his wares.

The over 1,000 yuan he earned in the morning made him feel like he was on a stimulant, unable to rest.

He felt like he was losing money every second he wasn’t working.

Xu Sangluo let him go and do his thing, considering it street advertising.

She and Qin Zhiyi went back to the town in the afternoon, and she would come back later.

She thought that the market would start to cool down after tomorrow, and Chen Tao would be able to handle it alone.

Moreover, according to her prediction, even if the income wasn’t as good as today, they should still make a small profit of seven or eight hundred yuan.

Over 2,000 yuan in three days should be enough to attract people. Maybe they could bring in another member of the Chen family.

Sure enough, on the third day, although business declined, they still earned 1,000 yuan.

That afternoon, Chen Tao, following Xu Sangluo’s instructions, took a bulging bag of money and went home.

The Chen family had finished the autumn harvest, but his two older brothers were still busy and had to go help their family.

Chen’s father and mother were busy from morning till night. When they saw their son, who had disappeared for a few days, they frowned.

Chen Tao just said that he was helping Qin Zhiyi, without mentioning what he was doing specifically.

The Qin family was in town, so they couldn’t ask.

Chen’s father thought that he was deliberately trying to shirk work and was about to scold him.

Chen Tao didn’t flinch at all. He walked into the main room with a swagger, directly dumping the money from his canvas bag onto the table.

Chen’s father’s words were immediately blocked by the pile of banknotes of different sizes, and he stared with his bull-like eyes for a long time, unable to recover.

Chen’s mother was surprised and asked, “Taozi, where did you get so much money? You haven’t been doing anything illegal these past few days, have you?”

Chen’s father also came back to his senses and slapped the table, shouting angrily, “You little rascal, if you dare do anything to ruin the reputation of our Chen family, I’ll just find a place to dig a hole and bury you!”

Chen Tao twitched his mouth, “I said, you two old people, is this how you see your son? Do I look like that kind of person?”

Wang Jinju patted his arm hard, then quickly closed the door of the main room and asked, “Then tell me where this money came from?”

Although she hadn’t counted it, looking at the pile of money, she could roughly estimate the amount.

Chen Tao said proudly, “Of course I earned it from doing business.”

He stepped onto the long bench by the table, pointed with his finger, “Three days, just three days. You know how much we earned? Over 2,500 yuan!”

Chen’s father’s bull-like eyes widened even more, and Chen’s mother gasped.

“What did you sell? How did you earn so much? Were you scammed?”

Chen’s father caught the key word, “You? Who else? That Qin Zhiyi kid? What did you sell? You wouldn’t be secretly reselling machinery, would you?”

The more he spoke, the more Chen’s father thought that was the case. His face was full of a storm brewing.

At this time, the buying and selling of machinery was…

It was still very strict, for fear that someone would steal technology and transfer it to foreign countries.

After all, China was still in a stage of technological blockade by foreign countries.

Many of China’s machines, both civilian and military, were either researched and developed independently or purchased at high prices from developed countries.

This wasn’t just the case in China. Many other developing countries around the world were in the same situation, and some were even worse off than China.

So, in recent years, there have been many smuggling routes secretly entering China from surrounding countries.

The country attaches great importance to this and the penalties are very severe.

Seeing that his father was about to explode, Chen Tao didn’t dare to be arrogant anymore. He quickly explained, “No, no, we earned this money from selling vegetables with Sangluo these past few days. It’s completely legal and compliant.”

Chen’s father and mother’s tense faces froze, as if they couldn’t react.

“What? Selling vegetables?”

Chen’s father’s face didn’t look any better. He looked at his son with sharp eyes, “Selling vegetables? What kind of vegetables can you sell to earn so much money? Do you think I’m senile? And when did you get so close to Qin Zhiyi’s wife?”

Chen’s father rarely paid attention to family matters, so he didn’t know that Chen Tao had often gone to help Xu Sangluo with her business recently.

Occasionally, when he asked Chen’s mother, she would just say that he went to Da Qin’s house.

His son and Qin Zhiyi had been good friends since childhood, so Chen’s father didn’t ask further.

Seeing his parents’ disbelief, Chen Tao couldn’t help but feel helpless. He could only carefully explain everything to them.

Including the price of the vegetables and how much they sold each day, and how much was left in the warehouse.

Finally, seeing that they were still doubtful, he said that Chen’s mother should go with him tomorrow, as he was short-handed.

The couple looked at each other. Although they still couldn’t believe it, especially after hearing the price of the vegetables, they felt even more absurd.

How could there be suckers who would buy vegetables that were everywhere in the fields and that every family had more than they could eat at sky-high prices?

But Chen Tao spoke with certainty, and Chen’s father thought for a moment and decided to let Chen’s mother go with him tomorrow.

Then, the next day, Chen’s mother was stunned by the wave of people grabbing vegetables in the market, and she couldn’t recover for a long time.

Although sales declined on the fourth day, they weren’t much worse than yesterday, and they still earned over 800 yuan.

After all, vegetables are fast-moving goods. Even if you buy a few pounds, you can’t eat them for a few meals.

Besides, although the vegetables were a bit expensive, they averaged about 0.2 yuan per pound. You wouldn’t spend a whole yuan on vegetables in a day.

At worst, you could buy those vegetables that cost 0.1 yuan per pound, or you could just eat half a pound a day.

Like Zhang Qian’s family, they bought five pounds of onions for only 0.5 yuan, and they could mix them with other things to make dishes that would last for a long time.

For salaried workers, it was still affordable.

And to be honest, after eating vegetables grown with spring water, it was hard to eat ordinary vegetables again. The difference was very obvious.

At first…

Everyone didn’t believe Xu Sangluo’s new research on new types of vegetables, but now they do.

So, the people who stocked up on vegetables the day before couldn’t help but come back and buy a lot more.

It was painful to spend the money, but the whole family was happy eating. As long as they weren’t strapped for cash, they were willing to spend it.

Seeing the money being handed over, seeing people coming over, even those who bought less, at least they would buy a big cabbage, Chen’s mother felt absurd.

You know, these big cabbages, each one weighs at least four or five pounds.

One pound is 0.15 yuan, so one cabbage costs about 0.7 yuan, almost a whole yuan.

Chen’s mother’s hand holding the money was shaking a little.

Chen Tao was still teasing her, “Mom, steady yourself. This is just a small scene, it’s nothing. These vegetables are not as good as before, the market is obviously much worse.”

Chen’s mother’s lips trembled, and after a while, she said, “This is considered bad?”

Earning over 800 yuan a day is considered bad?

Their 10-plus acres of land only yield seven or eight hundred yuan a year.

If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes and confirmed that these were indeed just vegetables, she wouldn’t have believed it.

When Chen’s mother went back and told Chen’s father that night, he was stunned for a long time.

Even if he didn’t believe his son, he absolutely believed his wife, who would never help cover up for his son.

But how could this be so unbelievable?

His son had mentioned doing vegetable business before.

At that time, he just thought it was not a proper job. How much money could you make from this? It’s better to just grow grain honestly, at least you don’t have to worry about selling it.

“Are people in the city really so willing to spend? A whole yuan for a cabbage? They really buy it like that?”

Wang Jinju took a sip of water to moisten her throat, “If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe it either. You know, what are these people in the city thinking? How can they be so willing to spend? It’s just a few vegetables, they don’t have to eat them all.”

Chen’s father was stunned for a long time, as if he couldn’t accept this fact.

Finally, he suddenly asked, “Where did that kid get so many vegetables to sell?”

It’s almost winter now, and even in the countryside, there are only small vegetable gardens that each family grows.

It’s said that he sold nearly 1,000 pounds of vegetables in one go today. That’s no small amount.

Mentioning this, Wang Jinju exclaimed, “He said that Xiaosang has a friend who is doing healthy vegetable cultivation in some kind of base. He bought a batch of fruits and vegetables with an internal purchase quota and transported them from far away. It’s said that they are all new types of vegetables cultivated at a high cost. The farmers are all scientists. These vegetables not only taste better than ordinary vegetables, but they are also said to be good for your health.”

“That’s impossible. It’s not medicine. How can it be good for your health?”

“Why is it impossible? Otherwise, why do you think people are willing to buy a vegetable for that price? It must be effective. It’s not like people in the city are all fools.”

Chen’s father tapped his tobacco pouch, feeling that something was still wrong.

He suddenly thought of something…

He said, “The Xiaosang you mentioned, is she the daughter-in-law Da Qin brought back?”

“Yes.” Wang Jinju nodded, and she couldn’t help but praise Xu Sangluo.

She had a good impression of Xu Sangluo, and now that she knew she was making money with her son, her impression was even better.

Chen’s father heard her praise her endlessly and quickly pressed his hand down, “Stop, stop. Where did Da Qin’s daughter-in-law come from? How did she have this connection? Is she reliable?”

“Why wouldn’t she be reliable? She’s helping your son make money, and you still think she’s not reliable? You think your son is so stupid that he can figure out how to make money on his own? If he had that ability, you would have gone to the city to enjoy yourself long ago. It’s Xiaosang who’s helping him.”

“Alright, alright. I was just saying, why are you so excited? She’s not your daughter-in-law.” Chen’s father twitched his mouth.

Wang Jinju put her hands on her hips, “I’m just stating facts. How can you be like this? You think why she’s helping your son? Because he’s stupid? Because he’s broke? It’s because of Da Qin’s face. You’re still suspicious of her. I’m telling you, don’t talk nonsense when you see her. You’ll chill her heart.”

Chen’s father was helpless, “That’s not what I meant. I’m just curious. This girl is really so capable. How did she get the vegetables grown by scientists?”

Wang Jinju snorted proudly, “You’re just narrow-minded. Her abilities are more than that. You know she’s helping the Qin family with that hair accessory business. Do you know how much money they make every day?”

Chen’s father had heard about the hair accessory business. Many people in the brigade had discussed it before, with both good and bad opinions.

The Chen family, because of Chen’s second uncle’s indoctrination of political ideology, didn’t think there was anything wrong with doing business.

But he was very dismissive of the hair accessory business.

It’s just a piece of string for girls to tie their hair with. How much money could it make? It’s a waste of time.

Wang Jinju could see through her husband’s thoughts and snorted, then held up her finger, “This much.”

Chen’s father took a look and was truly surprised. He said uncertainly, “Do they really make 500 yuan a day? Just from those things for tying hair?”

Wang Jinju chuckled, “What 500 yuan? It’s 5,000. At least 5,000 yuan a day!”

“What!” Chen’s father was so surprised that he almost stood up. He wasn’t sure if he had heard correctly, “You didn’t say it wrong, right? 500 or 5,000?”

“You can’t believe it, right? It’s at least 5,000 yuan a day. And that’s just the goods supplied to the supply and marketing cooperatives in the county and the city. Mingzhu said that the supply and marketing cooperative in our town also wants to buy some goods.”

Chen’s father was astonished, “They’re doing business with the supply and marketing cooperative? Even in the city?”

“Yes, Xiaosang found them herself. So, don’t underestimate her. She’s very capable. I heard that she and your son were selling vegetables in the county a few days ago. They were up early and working late. She could make so much money herself, why would she sell vegetables to earn favors and connections? She earns more in half a day making hair accessories than she does selling vegetables. And this is because she heard your son wanted to do a fruit and vegetable business, so she helped him find a way. To reduce your son’s risk, she even took on half the cost. Think about what she’s done, then think about what you just said. Aren’t you ashamed?”